Priests for Life is back in court to fight for religious freedom.

Priests For Life

Priests for Life-Staten Island, NY8/19/2013

WASHINGTON, DC - On behalf of the national pro-life ministry, the American Freedom Law Center filed a lawsuit today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the Obamacare mandate that Priests for Life’s insurance plan must provide contraception, abortifacients and sterilization services to its employees.

On Tuesday, Aug. 20, at 9 p.m. EDT, Priests for Life will welcome Rep. Michele Bachmann for a Religious Freedom webcast to discuss the case and talk about how people can help to safeguard our First Amendment right to freedom of religion and the even more fundamental right to life itself.

Priests for Life was the fourth organization to file a lawsuit against the mandate in February 2012. The court protected Priests for Life from the effects of the mandate, but declined to rule on its merits because the administration promised that accommodations for faith-based employers would address the organization’s concerns. Those accommodations, released in June, still do not provide Priests for Life the protection it needs from being forced to cover the objectionable drugs and services as part of their health plans.

Therefore, the need now arises to file the lawsuit again, when the court can no longer tell us that new changes are coming or that harm to the organization is not imminent.

"As we predicted from the outset, the accommodation turned out to be no accommodation at all," said Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life.

The lawsuit alleges that the regulations violate the Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act by forcing religious organizations to violate their religious beliefs.

The new lawsuit names as plaintiffs, along with the Priests for Life organization itself, the following individuals: Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director; Janet Morana, Executive Director, and Alveda King, Director of African-American Outreach.

"Our concerns are not resolved just because the insurance carrier pays for the services that violate our Catholic faith,” Father Pavone explained. “The fact is that Priests for Life still becomes the gateway through which people can have insurance coverage for some of the very things that our international ministry was formed to combat."

Mrs. Morana noted that, beyond Priests for Life's religious objections, there are health concerns as well, since the birth control pill has been labeled a Class 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization.

"We care about our employees at Priests for Life," she said. "We would never provide something for them that was both morally wrong and physically hazardous."

Dr. King, the niece of Martin Luther King Jr., said the Obama administration’s insistence on free contraception is an affront to civil rights.

"There are racist and eugenic roots to this thinking," Dr. King said. "Efforts to control the population always target minority and lower-income groups. We will not sit still and allow this to happen."

Robert Muise, co-founder and senior counsel of the American Freedom Law Center, said, "Despite his rhetoric about protecting the right of conscience, President Obama continues his war against religious liberty in order to promote his progressive, liberal agenda. Indeed, progressive liberals view pregnancy as a disease to be ‘prevented’ by contraception and 'cured' by abortion. By forcing religious organizations to participate in this culture of death agenda, the Obama administration is violating a core freedom enshrined in the Bill of Rights."

Catholic groups are not alone in objecting to the contraception/abortifactient mandate. David Yerushalmi, also a co-founder and senior counsel of the American Freedom Law Center, said: "As an orthodox Jew who objects to this mandate on religious and constitutional grounds, I can say with confidence that observant Jews are as opposed to Obama’s assault on religious liberty as are those in the Christian communities across the country. In this battle, we all stand as one."

The Tuesday, Aug. 20 webcast, which can be accessed online or by phone, will feature special guest Rep. Michele Bachmann as well as Father Pavone, Janet Morana, and Dr. King. Other nationally-known guests have been invited. Sign up to join the webcast at PriestsforLife.org/Webcast.

"As one of the first organizations to launch a lawsuit against this unjust mandate, Priests for Life is more than ready to bring this battle to the next level with today’s new filing,” Father Pavone said. “I am more than confident of victory, not only because of the expertise of the American Freedom Law Center, but because we are fighting for what America itself stands for: freedom, and above all, life."

yes unnecessary abortion is a horrific evil, but the prolife movement or preist for life must be kept setparate from politics, religions must remain neutral politicaly other wise your back too the dark ages ,and either left wing or right wing they loose all credibility, and all it becomes is a political foot ball, used mostly by the born again right ,and I would hope my catholic church wouldn't get drawn into political left right bashing too gain votes as the nodenominational relgions do. because in your united states of America you have four hundred million people and only two political partys and according too world standards both are extremely right wing if prolife groups want any credibility, they must stay out of left right bashing , after all did not regan your all time favourite leader not legalize abortion in California did the bushes out law abortion?but how many uneccessary wars did they start, the trouble is so many issues too solve abortion is just one of thousands ,no sane spiritual person can vote for any political party one one issue, and only two political choices , with a third even more extreme choice like a tea party.keep up the good work but stay out of politics

michael sparrow
says:

8/26/2013 9:52:01 AM

unessisary abortion is a horrible act against mankind ect.. that said,,did these employees all have medical coverage before?? because as with any health plan you usually heve too take the whole plan, and its up too the individual which parts of it they use according too there concoius and religious values, the same as in canada and most the world regaurdless if its a liberal or right wing or communist or facist government, the main point too consider is if everyone has medical coverage , and food and shelter.